


Comfort and Joy

by PinkCanary



Category: Zombies Run!
Genre: Christmas Fluff, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-24
Updated: 2014-12-24
Packaged: 2018-03-03 07:23:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,577
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2842877
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PinkCanary/pseuds/PinkCanary
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jack and Eugene are determined to make the first Christmas at Abel Township one to remember.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Comfort and Joy

**Author's Note:**

> Jack and Eugene plot, Sara sneaks, Jody knits, Sam is a big dork, and Simon has the worst Christmas playlist ever. Oh, and EVERYONE avoids the stern looks that Janine keeps sending in all directions. 
> 
> This is a Secret Santa gift for marvelhornets, who requested "the first Christmas at Abel Township". In my mind, it's set shortly after the Race Missions - basically still season one, but there is tension with New Canton, and they vaguely know that SOMETHING is up with Van Ark. Other than that..... it's been a long time since i've run season one, so ignore any continuity errors. IT'S CHRISTMAS.
> 
> Also, a good portion of this was written with a pen and paper, in the dark, while on a plane, while a huge drunk guy slept on my shoulder. So....uh.... that happened.

"Listeners, we're two weeks until Christmas, and you can practically smell the snow in the air. Chestnuts roasting, jingle bells jingling…"

"Jack, we don't actually have any of those things."

"That doesn't stop us from using our imaginations! C'mon Abel, let's make with the merry with what we've got! I can't be the only one that smelled gingerbread - real gingerbread! - coming from the kitchens, this afternoon. Life has been getting better for us here in Abel, and we should celebrate the things that we have, this Christmas."

"It has been a hard year, but things are definitely getting better. Abel has become a safer and more comfortable place to live. I guess it is the little things in life.”

"Exactly, Gene. Now, in the spirit of the season, let's have some Bing Crosby…"

* * *

The plan had started simply enough. 

“No one seems to be in the celebrating mood, Jack. With the rocket launcher attack, the tension with New Canton, Runner 10…” 

“Well, we’ll put them in the celebrating mood. We can’t make everything better, but we should be able to get most people to crack a smile, if only for a few minutes.”

Eugene frowned. “That’s kind of a tall order. It isn’t as simple as just playing Frosty the Snowman and hanging some mistletoe. 

“No, but that would be a great start!” Jack was excited, now, talking quickly. “It’s Christmas, Eugene! And it’s our job to make sure that people are happy.”

* * *

Jody frowned as she looked down at the hastily scribbled list of requests that Jack had handed her as she had gotten ready for her run. It wasn’t abnormal for Abel residents to slip notes to runners - a favourite brand of candy bar, a specific book, requests for clothing items….

She looked up at the sprawling grocery store around her, and wondered where the hell she was going to find cinnamon sticks and unpasteurized honey. 

The canned goods aisle was right ahead of her, so she made the quick decision to grab some actual food before she started on Jack’s list. 

“Hey, Sam?”

“Yeah, Jody?”

“Do you have any idea what ‘star anise’ even is?”

* * *

Jack grinned with glee. “What about Sam? What does Sam want for Christmas?"

"Um… Marmite? Curly Wurlys? Novelty cartoon underwear?" Eugene ticked off the items on his fingers as he spoke.

“No, he _likes_ all of those things, but we need something bigger. He puts on a cheerful face, but I know that the operator job rattles him more than he likes to let on. We need to come up with something _really_ good for him.”

A slow smile spread across Eugene's face. "I have just the thing. And we'll also be able to check Runner Five off of our Christmas list, as well."

* * *

Jack and Eugene cornered Sara one day while she was on the way to the dining tent. 

“Do you think that you could get us into Janine’s house? Just for a few minutes?”

Sara’s eyes narrowed in suspicion. “What exactly do you need from Janine’s? And why do you think that I have access?”

Jack fidgeted a little. “Well, we figured since the two of you are sha—“ Jack trailed off as Sara’s gaze turned from stern to murderous.

“Um…. sha-ring strategies.” Eugene finished lamely. “We thought that you might have a key to her house.”

“That business is between me and Janine. And you still haven’t answered why you need to get into her private home.”

Jack gave Sara a wide, encouraging grin. “We thought that she might have some Christmas decorations stashed away somewhere in the house. I mean, it’s been her family’s farm forever; they must have SOMETHING. Some lights, maybe some tinsel or garland? We thought that it might cheer up everyone to have a bit of decoration for the holidays… make it look like it used to, _before_.”

Sara’s dubious expression did not change, but Eugene was sure that he saw something soften behind her steely eyes. 

“Janine will be in the armoury at 3:00 this afternoon. Come to her back door and I’ll let you in. You’ll only have a few minutes.”

Jack was practically bouncing with excitement. “Thanks, Sara! We knew that you would help us.”

Sara sighed, and her eyes rolled heavenward. “Lord help us if Janine catches you two in her house. We’ll all find ourselves on the other side of the gate at dusk.”

But Sara was true to her word and, as Jack and Eugene made their way around the back of Janine’s house at 3:05 that afternoon, Sara was standing there with the door cracked just an inch. As they approached, she quickly let them in, and gave the quad a brief scan. 

“I’ll show you the way up to the attic, and then you must be quick and quiet. Get what you need, and then get out of here. Janine could use a bit of holiday cheer as much as the rest of them, but she would never agree to the “unnecessary use of resources”, so we have to be sneaky.”

Eugene gave Sara a sideways glance. “Some of us are better at that than others.”

She gave him a quick grin of acknowledgement over her shoulder, as she started off into the house. 

Once in the attic, Jack was pleased to see that Janine’s well-organized storage area included several large cardboard boxes marked, ‘Christmas’. “Would you look at this, Eugene! She’s practically a normal person, behind the terrifying exterior!”

Eugene opened one of the boxes and immediately grinned. “Jackpot!” He started pulling out strand after strand of lights.

“Oh yeah! Janine has the clear and the coloured lights! Who would have thought that she was wild and crazy like that?” 

Janine’s collection of Christmas decorations included not only more lights than they knew what to do with, several wreaths, carefully wrapped Christmas dishes and — 

“Would you look at this, Eugene!” Jack held out a small box full of brightly coloured ornaments, made from all manner of materials - construction paper, wooden sticks, scraps of felt — and each one with Janine’s name written on it, in various stages of legibility. 

Jack laughed. “The big softie still has all her Christmas stuff from when she was in school!”

Jack and Eugene were hard at work collecting anything that they thought that they could use, when they heard a loud whistle from downstairs. 

“Shit.” Eugene muttered. “What do we do? Do we hide?”

Jack had moved toward the staircase and paused on the top step. He gestured for Eugene to stop talking as he listened. They could hear Sara’s voice drifting up from the front of the house.

“I wasn’t expecting you back for another hour, Janine. How are you getting on with the weapons inventory?”

“The weapons inventory is just fine, Sara.” Eugene could practically hear the suspicion in Janine’s tone. “What exactly are you doing here? I thought you were on a rest period.”

“I thought I could _rest_ here just as well as anywhere else. Maybe take a nap up in your room while I waited for you to finish up in the armoury…”

Jack’s head jerked over to meet Eugene’s gaze; their eyebrows shot up simultaneously. Eugene mouthed silently, “Are they really….” 

Jack nodded enthusiastically.

They heard Janine speaking again. “Well. I need to finish up in the armoury, but I’ll be back in…. say…. half an hour?”

There was a pause where they heard nothing but quiet rustling, and Eugene thought that perhaps Janine had left, when they heard Sara speak again. Her voice was low and gravely, practically a purr. “I’ll be waiting for you.”

The door to the house closed with a quiet click, and they heard footsteps approaching from the front of the house. 

“Are you done yet, boys? You’d best be finishing up and getting out of here before Janine returns.”

Jack stuttered a bit. “We’ll be down in a minute. I think we have everything that we need.”

Jack and Eugene stuffed their backpacks with the lights and decorations, and began making their way back down out of the attic. Sara met them at the bottom of the stairs.

“You know that the only thing that Janine hates more than people in her personal space, is people sticking their noses in her personal business. If you two are found spreading rumours…. well, I don’t think I need to remind you of how Janine feels about rumours.” 

Her words were harsh, but Eugene could see the ghost of a grin in Sara’s eyes. 

Jack was cheeky, all bravado. “It’s okay. We won’t mention anything that we saw here. And particularly not Janine’s apparent affinity for glitter glue and macaroni.”

They could hear still hear Sara’s laughter as they started back across the quad.

* * *

Jack casually approached the tall runner in the rec tent, one afternoon. 

“So, I hear that you’re the guy that we need to talk to if we need some music.”

Simon smirked at Jack. “I thought you were the guy that I need to talk to if I need music.”

“Touche.” Jack grinned. “Unfortunately, my iPod is a bit lacking in the Christmas music department. I was hoping that you could hook me up with something… festive.”

“I think I have something that will do. Are you at all opposed to _Christmas in Spiceworld_ or the ABBA Christmas album?”

Jack grimaced. “That sounds… traditional. I guess it’s better than the rave remixes that I have, though.”

“I’ll take a look and talk to Sam about getting whatever I have transferred into your collection.” Simon chucked as he started to walk away. 

As Jack started back towards the comms shack, he wondered if it was too late to get his hands on some shiny neon tinsel.

* * *

Eugene grinned at Jack. "Sam is going to kill us." 

"Not if this gets him the runner that he has been pining over for months! He's going to be thanking us!"

Eugene frowned at the mound of bedding that had been heaped into a pile behind the comms shack. "Still, we're burning his personal possessions. He's going to be pissed."

Jack's grin got even wider as he struck the match. "Think of the larger picture, Eugene. This is going to be epic."

* * *

The group looked up expectantly as Jack and Eugene entered the room. The table was littered with books, papers, and dice. 

Sam looked annoyed. "You guys are late. Demons and Darkness begins at 7:00 - every Thursday." 

Eugene fixed his face with a look of horror and repentance. "We had a bit of an accident. In the comms shack."

"WHAT!? What did you destroy?" Sam was horrified. "The equipment? My comics???" 

"No, nothing that bad. It's just…. well…. there was a bit of fire."

Maxine snorted. "Fire?"

"Yeah, we might have accidentally lit Sam's bed on fire."

The table erupted into a mixture of laughter and cheers. Simon clapped Jack on the shoulder. "Well done, mate!"

Sam was sputtering. "How in the hell would you even do that? Where am I going to sleep, now? It's not like we just have an abundance of blankets and bedding just lying around, waiting to be purchased and brought home."

"I'm sure someone would be willing to share a tent with you." Jack grinned innocently. "I mean, why were you still sleeping in there, anyway?"

"I like to be close to the equipment!" He signed. "Well, Maxine, I don't suppose you'd mind if I bunked with you until I get this all sorted out?"

Jack and Eugene shared panicked looks. "Oh, I'm sure you could find someone else to bunk with? Someone who doesn’t sleep in a hospital?”

Sam groaned. "Jody, pal, what do-"

Runner Five huffed. "Don't be stupid. You can sleep in my tent."

Eugene rolled his eyes. _At least one of them was smarter than a can of paint._

* * *

“You have to hurry, Jack! They’ll be coming out of dinner in a few minutes.”

Jack looked down from where he was attempting to loop the largest pine tree in Janine’s front garden with lights. 

“Hey! It’s not my fault that this is really more than a one person job, But I’m not exactly going to let you start climbing trees just yet. Maybe next Christmas.”

Eugene laughed. “Yeah, I’m just as likely to get myself stuck up in the tree. Can you imagine Janine and Sara’s faces if we had to ask them to _rescue_ me from Janine’s tree?”

“Janine is just as likely to make you stay up there all night. Ok, I’m almost done. Do we know for sure that these still work?”

“I tested them at the comms shack, but I’m not positive that the lines are still working over here.”

“Oh good.” Jack sighed. “Well, let’s hope that they actually light up, or this is going to be the saddest Christmas surprise ever.”

Jack started climbing down out of the tree. He sauntered over to Eugene and leaned down to peck a quick kiss on his lips. “Do you think they’ll like it?”

Gene pulled away just enough to send him a smile. “It’s going to be the best Christmas in the entire post-zombie-apocalypse world.”

“Well, when you put it that way…”

Jack was cut off by the sound of laughter coming from the direction of the dining tent. They saw Sam first - he was walking with Runner Five, gesturing wildly as he talked. A huge grin had lit the normally stoic runner’s face.

Jack nudged Eugene. “Would you look at that!”

Five and Sam were followed closely by Janine and Sara. Sara looked towards Janine’s house and met Eugene’s eyes. She gave him an almost imperceptible nod, and linked her arm with Janine’s, beginning to steer her in the direction of the quad. 

“Ok, now!” Eugene whispered to Jack. 

Jack gave a little jump and shake, before scurrying off towards the electrical cords and power bars that were strewn across the yard.

“Cross your fingers!” he called to Eugene, before flipping the switch on the power bar.

Instantly, the quad was bathed in the glow of thousands of twinkling lights. The small trees in the yard had been draped in white lights, and the glowing lights encircled the small fence around the old DeLuca family vegetable garden. Jack had insisted on placing a single light-up deer next to that fence, and it turned its head back and forth mechanically. Best of all, the largest pine tree in the yard twinkled with hundreds of multi-coloured lights. Eugene cringed a bit as one of the strings of lights near the centre began to blink on and off rhythmically.

“Well, you can’t win them all,” he muttered.

Eugene turned his attention away from Jack’s ridiculously pleased face next to the pine tree, to watch the reactions of the others, as they approached. 

“You guys sorted out a Christmas tree, you big dorks!” Sam was hopping from one foot to the other in excitement.

A voice trailed across the yard. “What the hell have you two done? I thought adorable mischief of this sort was more my territory.” Simon clapped Eugene on the back. “I need to find Clover - she loves this sort of thing.”

Slowly at first, and then much more quickly, the crowd of excited onlookers began to grow. 

“There’s more!” Jack announced to no one in particular. He bounced over to the power bar near the tree and began fidgeting with the scroll wheel on his iPod. Immediately, the sounds of Britney Spears filled the quad, to general groans and laughter.

“You weren’t kidding about your music tastes, were you, Simon?” Eugene laughed.

“Well, if we’re going to inflict Simon’s Christmas playlist on you all, then we’re going to need something else. Sara, can I borrow your upper body strength for a minute?” Jack asked conspiratorially. 

The two disappeared in the direction of the mess tent, and it was at that moment that Janine decided to approach. 

_Here it comes…_ Eugene thought.

“I can only assume that these decorations came from my private home, Mr. Woods. And I’m sure that you’re aware that the electricity that you are using to power these lights could run our communications equipment - including your little radio station - for several days?”

Eugene flushed. “Of course, Janine. But we’re considering this to be a crucial “morale mission”. We thought that everyone could use a bit of cheering up - especially this time of year.”

As if on cue, they heard Sam’s eager voice. “Is that - is that _mulled wine_? Where the hell did you get the things to mull wine? Where the hell did you get _wine_? I could kiss you right now! But I won’t. Because that would make it really awkward in the comms shack tomorrow.”

Jack stepped over to Eugene and Janine, offering them each a cup of the wonderful-smelling steaming liquid. 

“Peace offering, Janine? Just this once? On Christmas Eve?”

Eugene watched Janine’s face go from supremely pissed off, to exasperated, and finally landing on grudgingly indulgent. Like that look a parent would give to their child who destroyed the entire kitchen in an attempt to make breakfast in bed.

“Offer accepted. But if you ever go into my house again without permission, you will not find me nearly so generous. Consider this an official warning.”

“Noted.” Eugene grinned. “Merry Christmas, Janine.”

“Happy Christmas to you, Mr. Woods.” Janine paused before walking away. “I expect this to all be turned off by 22:00 hours.”

Janine was intercepted and steered away by Sara. “Oh, you killjoy, you need this as much as the rest of us.”

“Don’t think that I’ve forgotten how the two of them got into my attic, Sara.”

Sara smirked. “I’ll make it up to you later, love.”

Eugene raised his eyebrows at the backs of the two retreating women. “Well, we survived that.”

“Altogether, that went better than I was expecting, frankly.” Jack smiled and leaned in to Eugene as they surveyed their work.

All of Abel’s residents had gathered in the quad near the Christmas tree. A couple runners were carefully dipping mulled wine out of the kitchen’s giant soup pot. Ed was holding a giggling and pointing Molly up under one of the lit trees, laughing with her as she reached up to try to touch the lights. 

_Oh yeah, I have definitely had worse Christmases._

Eugene’s thoughts were interrupted by something warm and fuzzy and dark being pulled over his eyes. _What the…_ He reached up and felt the soft wool of the hat that had been placed on his head, and gave it a tug, so that it now rested further back on his forehead. As soon as he regained his eyesight, he met the eyes of Jody, who was grinning at him. 

“It suits you.” She was trying to to stifle a laugh.

Eugene looked over at Jack, who was now wearing a rainbow-striped beanie. He groaned. “Do they match?”

“They match.”

Jody finally gave up on suppressing her laughter, and it bubbled out of her. “Hey, rainbows are pretty! And I didn’t have enough yarn in any one colour, so….”

Jack pulled her into a hug. “We love them, Jody. Merry Christmas.”

“Merry Christmas to you guys, too. Thank you for doing all this. It really feels like Christmas. I never thought that this place could feel like home but…. somehow, it is home.”

Jack reached out and pulled Eugene forward, drawing him into the hug. 

“It really is.”

* * *

True to their word, the lights and music had been turned off at 10:00. Slowly, people had trickled back to their bunks and tents, until it was just Jack and Eugene left in the quad. 

Jack still had a goofy smile plastered on his face. “That was awesome. I can’t believe we pulled that all off.” 

“We really did. We threw Abel’s first Christmas party!” 

Eugene laughed. “One for the books, for sure.”

“We can clean this all up in the morning, right? Not even Janine will fault us for leaving a bit of a mess for a few hours, on the night before Christmas?”

Eugene was skeptical, but he nodded anyway. “Time for bed? Ready for Zombie Claus to make his appearance while we’re all sleeping?”

Jack shuddered. “That is horrible. And I am choosing not to think about that anymore. Anyway, you head to our tent. I’ll be along in a few minutes. I have one stop to make, first.”

Eugene looked at him curiously, but didn’t ask any questions as he picked up his crutches and started towards the tents.

Jack gathered a few things, before heading in the direction of the hospital. The lights were still shining brightly through the windows. 

He knocked quietly on the door, before pushing it open. “Maxi-“ Jack stopped at the sight that greeted him. Maxine was sitting in her normal place - notes and books spread in front of her. Her head was resting on top of one of the open books, her eyes closed and mouth open slightly, as she slept soundly in her desk chair. 

Jack tiptoed over to the sleeping doctor, and gently placed the plate of cookies and mug of wine that he had been carrying on the desk. 

“Merry Christmas, doc. And hopefully a better year ahead, for all of us.”

Jack turned off the light and closed the door quietly behind him, before starting towards his own bed.


End file.
